The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino will be hosting a celebration of Kun opera, one of China’s oldest and most refined operatic traditions. The event on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5 and 6, will feature performances of Kun opera arias and traditional Chinese music by the Chinese Kwun Opera Society and Spring Thunder Music Association.
Kun opera, also known as kunqu, originated as a popular leisure activity staged in the private garden residences of Suzhou during the 16th to 18th centuries. The upcoming performances will offer audiences a rare opportunity to experience this ancient art form in Southern California.
The Saturday performance will showcase scenes from “The Jade Hairpin,” a love story written by Ming dynasty playwright Gao Lian. The opera follows the romance between young scholar Pan Bizheng and Daoist nun Chen Miaochang, featuring scenes such as “Flirting with a Zither,” “Visiting the Sick One,” and “Stealing a Poem.”
Sunday’s program will present a selection of classic Kun opera repertoire, including scenes from well-known works. These include “Captured Alive” from “Water Margin,” “A Portrait Retried” from “Peony Pavilion,” and “An Unsightly Surprise” from “Mistake with a Kite.”
The event is co-organized by The Huntington and the Chinese Kwun Opera Society, with generous support provided by the Justin Vajna Memorial Fund for Educational Programs in the Chinese Garden. Both performances will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Rothenberg Hall of the Steven S. Koblik Education and Visitor Center.
Tickets for the performances are priced at $10, and reservations are required. To reserve your space, visit https://huntington.org/event/kun-opera-jade-hairpin-yuzanji-and-other-highlights.
